Activities

The Society holds bi-monthly meetings on the 3rd Monday of February, April, June, August, October and December in the Meeting Centre of the RSL Memorial Homes at 152-162 Canterbury Road (cnr Keats Street) Canterbury in Melbourne [Melway ref 46C11]. The syllabus is wide and varied, covering subjects as diverse as postal and military history, traditional and social philately, post cards and stationery. In the main, displays are drawn from members; however, a number of outstanding guest exhibitors are always included during the annual activities.

Postal Address

Australian Journal of Philately

The objectives of the Journal are to disseminate information, original research and news, along with Questions and Answers in all areas of Philately and Postal History. Given our location we have an emphasis on Australian material, but we also cover a wide range of philatelic topics, both local and overseas. Our emphasis is upon original research. Both “The Date Stamp” and the “Australian Journal of Postal History” built up a reputation of reporting, among other things, current and topical Australian postmark information, and the “Australian Journal of Philately” continues that tradition.

Each issue has an Editorial, Letters to the Editor, Australian Hand Held Datestamp Notes, Items of Interest, Feature Articles, President’s Forum, and a column of society and other happenings entitled ‘Urban Myths’.

Origins of the Society

The Australian Philatelic Society, based in Melbourne, Australia, is an international society whose primary aim is to assist the collector and researcher of the stamps, postal markings and postal history, of Australia and its States. However, its interests include all the major collecting fields of worldwide philately.

Our roots as a society lie in the field of postal history. In 1977 after Mr. Dudley Robins placed an advertisement in a philatelic magazine for people interested in postal history to contact him, the ‘Postal History Society’ was formed. Mr. Ron Columbine was the first President. In 1999, the name was changed to the “Australian Philatelic Society” to more appropriately reflect current interests.

The society realised that in order to meet its objectives, it needed to publish a magazine on a regular basis. The initial magazine named ‘The Date Stamp’ first appeared in July 1981. Fifty-six issues had been produced before the name was changed in 1996, to the ‘Australian Journal of Postal History’.

In 1999, the name was again changed to ‘Australian Journal of Philately‘. Our first journal under the new masthead (issue no. 67) published to coincide with the International Philatelic Exhibition – ‘AUSTRALIA 99’.

The Society had to address several target specific issues that had become evident over the years. The term ‘postal history’ had taken on quite a narrow focus in the minds of many philatelists, a focus that excludes rather than involves collectors. Those who might have found a society appropriate to their collecting interests never had the chance to discover our society because of the connotation, which the name ‘Postal History Society’ evoked.

In addition, new classes of collecting had also emerged. Who would have thought 10 years ago that ‘First Day Covers’ would be trialled as a competitive class? That ‘Social Philately’ would make such an impact. That ‘Frugal Philately’ would prove to be so popular. Consequently, the change of name reflected both the diversity of the membership and the mainstream interests and concerns of the society.

We now have members throughout all states of Australia, and in the U.K., the United States, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Norway, Canada, Singapore, Japan and New Zealand. Our members have a variety of interests. Many collect in the field of Traditional Philately, Postal Stationery or Thematics. Given the fact that we were begun by keen postal historians, many collect various aspects of Australian Postal History, while British, Oceanic and European Postal History also rate strongly.

The Society will work to attract new members with varied collecting interests, and to create the premier philatelic society of Australasia. In this, it has as its goals:

To provide best possible environment for encouragement and promotion of philately.

To become a truly national society.

To offer practical help and advice to any ‘ailing’ philatelic clubs.

The Society is proud of the achievements of its members. Many have received gold and other medals at competitions, including international exhibitions.

Privacy

We only gather information we need to serve you better and will not, without your consent, sell, share, or rent this information to others in ways different from what is disclosed in this statement except in cases where in good faith we believe that the law requires us to do so, it is necessary to protect the Australian Philatelic Society rights and/or property, or if circumstances necessitate acting to protect the personal safety of staff or of the public.